


Choking On You

by dragonsFall



Series: Ship Fics [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: All three of the ASL Bros are members of Whitebeards crew, Blood, Hanahaki Disease, Idiots in Love, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Nothing gets solved, assumed unrequited feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26094478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsFall/pseuds/dragonsFall
Summary: Hanahaki. A strange disease of the Grand Line that forces someone to admit their feelings or choke on the blooms that formed from their love. Come clean or die as they sayOf course, admitting something like that is easier said than done. Especially for three members of the crew.
Relationships: Fushicho Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace/Sabo, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace/Sabo
Series: Ship Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894504
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	Choking On You

Marco knew he was in trouble when he started coughing up snapdragons and forget-me-nots. This was something he had seen before. Witnessed crewmates being strangled by the beautiful blossoms that started growing in their lungs. Had to help remove the pesky flowers from the chests of others, taking with them the feelings they represented. Hanahaki. One's love is made deadly and tangible. A mysterious disease of the Grand Line that killed many but forced others to admit to their feelings to the subject of their infatuation. Beautiful and tragic all at the same time. Come clean or die.

He knew he should have realized what was going on sooner. It was his own body for crying out loud. If anyone should know that something is wrong, he most certainly should. His flames were not taking care of the illness. Why would they? His body was attacking itself because of what his heart felt. And he never got sick so the sudden cough should've been a sure sign. Denial. That's why he hadn't noticed sooner. Denial that he even had feelings for anyone on the crew. He was too damn old for this. Marco didn't have to stare at the flowers forever to realize who they represented. Snapdragons for a fiery man who had joined after trying to take his father figures head. Forget-Me-Nots for a blond they had rescued by sheer chance after a brief break from the Grand Line in East Blue.   
  
Of course, the coughing fits had to strike when he wasn't in the comfort of his room. Where no one would try and figure out what was wrong with him. Marco didn't need to be worrying the crew and those in his division like this. The latest had struck when he was striding across the deck to get to the infirmary. What for? Maybe to get the blooms removed from his lungs. Maybe to check their books to see if there was anything else he could do about the flowers that were slowly killing him. Admitting anything to either was out of the question. He was… too old for them. Too old for this. They wouldn't feel the same way. They would want someone closer to their age. Someone who would understand them better.   
  
Knees hit the deck as he struggled to breathe through the coughing fit, hands moving to keep him from face planting on the wood beneath him rather than covering his mouth. Bloodied petals began to flutter to settle beneath him on the deck. Orange and blue. 

Too many. 

Too many. 

Too many. 

Too much blood. Can’t breathe. His vision was getting blurry. How long had it been since he had started coughing up the petals? Two weeks, the average length before someone died from asphyxiation. How long had this fit been going on? Too long. “Commander Marco!” He heard someone shout, footsteps running towards him then that was it.   
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Sabo had a cough for the past two weeks or so, the taste of blood on his tongue always lingering after a particularly nasty coughing fit. It always felt like something was sticking to the back of his throat, making it hard to breathe. Not to mention that in the past two weeks, it seemed to have been becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. Like something was sitting on his chest. The latest fit of coughing had struck while he was eating breakfast with his two sworn brothers. Ace and Luffy.   
  
The blond had been expecting it to be like all his other coughing fits before. Horrible and with a taste of blood lingering in his mouth. But this time was different. No. This time, the hand he had used to cover his mouth with had come away covered in deep blue petals with yellow towards the very center of them and petals the color of fire. They were beautiful although covered in blood. His blood. Sabo felt like he should remember the name of what was going on with him but his memory had always been poor so he didn't remember. He closed his palm quickly when he heard Ace's question, not wanting either of them to see.   
  
“Have you gone to see the nurses yet? You're gonna get everyone sick if you keep walking around with a cough like that” He scolded, his tone none too happy with the fact that he was still sick. And he had every right to be but the hint of concern in his tone made Sabo's heart flutter. A glance at Luffy showed that he shared the same fears that Ace did. That their sworn brother was sick and would not be getting better.

Since he was done with his food anyway, Sabo started to get to his feet. Or it had been stolen by Luffy while he was distracted by something else. “I’ll go and see them now. I’m sorry for worrying you” Before either could say anything, he turned and left the mess hall to get to the infirmary to get himself checked out. While he walked, he thought about the flower petals that were still stuck to his hand. Maybe he should’ve stopped somewhere to wash them away but he didn’t. Maybe it could help with a diagnosis.

As he entered the infirmary, the air felt tense. As if someone was on the verge of death. As if someone that normally wasn’t there was there. But before he could investigate further, one of the nurses was upon him. “Something wrong?” Considering Sabo frequently got sick due to a shitty immune system, she didn’t seem all that surprised to see him there. 

“I just have a cough. And…” He trailed off as he opened his palm to show her what had come up during one of his coughing fits. These must have been what has been sticking to the back of his throat. Without explanation and with wide eyes, the nurse hurried him to one of the beds for a proper look at him. Sabo would sit down as directed. He watched the nurse hurry away to inform her sisters and to get what she needed.

As he watched, his eyes landed on something else. Or rather, someone else. A particular older blond that normally wasn’t in the infirmary unless he was helping with patients or he had injuries inflicted while he was wearing sea stone that had yet to heal. Either way, it was abnormal to see their Phoenix in an infirmary bed. Let alone on oxygen and being watched over by two of the nurses like he was going to kick the bucket at any moment. Sabo's heart clenched as he watched a coughing fit wrack Marcos' body. Had he done that to him? He knew he should’ve gotten himself looked at sooner.

Before he could further travel down the route of ‘This is entirely your fault’, the nurse was back and investigating his chest. Mildly embarrassing since she had opened up his vest and dress shirt to do so but he didn’t have a chance to be embarrassed as she quickly spoke. “Hanahaki. We have to operate to remove them now or you’re going to end up in the same state as Marco. Or you need to tell whoever it is.” She nodded towards the man laying on the bed, his harsh coughs still filling the room then focused on Sabo who was still processing.

Hanahaki. Of course, he should’ve known that was what it was. You didn’t just randomly cough up flowers. There was a reason the disease formed. He’s seen others with it. A glance to his petal covered hand as he tried to suppress the cough that was starting to build. Now he knew what the flowers were. Now that he looked at them. Morning glories and snapdragons. Who did they represent? And… Would they even feel the same? Oh.  _ Oh _

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Ace sighed as he laid back in his bed. It was lonely tonight. There was no Sabo since he was currently confined to the infirmary and Luffy had gone to see him. So both of his sworn brothers were there. And he couldn’t go and bother his favorite pineapple because he was confined to the infirmary as well. Hanahaki was what both of them had.

And Ace wanted to throttle whoever was causing them to cough up flowers and choke on their feelings. They didn’t deserve that. Not one bit. They deserved to be happy and loved and not potentially dying because neither one of them seemed to want to get the flowers removed. Ugh. Were they suddenly thinking like him when he hit a low moment? Geez. Whoever had their affections was lucky. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone but he liked the two of them. More than he should.

A scoff at his thoughts then he draped an arm over his eyes to block out his room. He didn’t deserve that. Not like they did. Ace was the son of a monster. Who on Earth would love him? Romantically that is. Nobody. That’s who. He moved his arm when he started to feel a tickle in his throat. Did he catch something? No that wouldn't make sense. He didn’t get sick.

A single harsh cough and the feeling of petals sticking to his mouth was all Ace needed to sit upright. He quickly wiped the petals from his mouth, stuck just with saliva rather than a mix of blood and spit. The petals were opposing shades of blue. What were these called again? The nurses had told him which flowers both were coughing up in hopes of bringing in the source of their affections. To try and cure them through admission. Since neither wanted surgery [Marco was assumed considering his current state]. Neither wanted to get rid of their feelings. Whoever it was, they were a lucky bastard. And Ace would kick their ass.

Oh. That’s right. These were forget-me-nots and morning glories. They had shown them to him as soon as he had gotten there. Which was understandable. He was close to them so surely he would notice if they were eyeing someone.  _ Wait.  _ Forget-me-nots and morning glories.

_ Shit.  _ Ace quickly scrambled up out of bed, relaxation, and sleep temporarily forgotten. He pulled his boots back on his feet and shoved his ridiculous orange cowboy hat on his head. Once that was done, he was out the door and racing to the infirmary. Maybe to try and save the life of the two he had grown to love more than brothers. Maybe to be there with them if they died because neither one of them know how to talk about their feelings. Not to each other anyway. Ace would have to kick his  ass then Marco and Sabo’s. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Want to request a fic? Feel free to contact me on my Tumblr: clockworkPanic


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